Back from Rwanda

hello, i hope you are doing great! i have had a busy 10 days traveling and attending a conference. i was able to attend to a conference in kigali, rwanda for about 6 days. the sixth day actually was a visit to the city and the memorial center, where the remains of the genocide has been put aside for historical purposes. the visit to this site is scary, for those who are light hearted. this was my 4th visit to this place and so i was a bit hardened [prepared].

the greatest question that most folks need to ask ourselves is where were we in 1994? that [question] came back and forth in the conference. Brian Mclaren encouraged us to ask ourselves what we can do now in rebuilding the lost glory of neighborliness in our society...since what happens in your backyard, it ripples far and wide and the society needs to come to terms with that.

the conference was awesome. we had so many people from diverse backgrounds, some of them highly educated. sometimes u could feel out of place in front of all the phd's and masters degrees, but we were all serving our creator in one way or another. i face this reality when i presented a case for the post elections violence in kenya and what the church did. it was a frightening moment to answer for the whole country .....but i was glad to get God's inspiration to be able to present the case that was agreed to by the folks from home and there in Rwanda. The painful truth was that the church was divided, and we had little or no training on conflict management. Thank God we could pray.

The hardest part of the journey was travelling as we took the whole 2 days to arrive home. it was so tiring, i had to rest for a day or two so that i could continue with my normal duties again.
thanks alot for your prayers......

Because He lives
Jonah
p.s. enjoy the pics. there was a report about the american indians as well.....it was so nice.

Some needs met

Dear Saints,

A quick word to thank you all for prayers and for recent contributions for food. We praise our heavenly Father for his goodness.

Brother Thomas was able to buy 2800 Kenyan shillings worth of corn to distribute amongst 8 households of orphans. It cost him 300 Kenyan shillings to transport it from Kericho to the village. Pastor Jonah will also be able to put the $50. contribution from brother, Dan in USA to good use....The children and the overseers thank you so much!!!

Brother Thomas also reported that a family of 7 requires the following bedding: two mattresses, several sets of sheets and some warmer blankets. Brother Thomas has no email so if you can help, please let Pastor Jonah know.

We seek your prayers on this and other orphan and Internally Displaced Person needs as well.

Love and blessings. Because He lives!!
Sis PJ

Cooking with Jiko Stoves

Editor's Note: This blog entry was originally posted on April 12, 2008 and is being reposted to ensure the widest readership. If you would like to support this Jiko project or any other project described in this blog site (see sidebar), Pastor Jonah would love to hear from you at kericho120@yahoo.com God bless, sister Penny Joy

hello saints,

for the last few days i have met this woman who makes cooking pots or Jiko as we call it here (jiko is swahili for "stove"). this whole item is used for cooking instead of three stones, that most people use. i was really tempted to have this available in every home and am delighted, soon i will start with our own family. i so much wish and pray that this can spread to all the people in the community and my village. if you feel led to give toward this project, please contact me at the email on the sidebar.

Project Cost for making, delivering and installing one Jiko Stove:
Jiko (pot) Ksh.600
Cement 850
Bricks (20) = 300
Transport= 1000
Labor = 1000
Total: 3750 Kenyan Shillings or $61.00 US
Right now in Kenya the US dollar is worth about 58-60 shillings per dollar.

Most forests in Africa have been depleted ....and now the rain has become scarce, as people rely heavily on firewood from the forest. This is about 95% of the people living here in Kenya....as electricity reaches less than 10% of the population. (even me - am not connected..lol).

here in Kenya, only 1 million people have electricity attached to their homes,out of 34 million people. please pray that this firewood saving jiko can reach many homes and save our forest ....it uses less firewood. the experts talk about ...80% saving...on firewood. the jiko stove not only helps to save our depleting forests but is also more healthy for the women who do the cooking (and the children sitting with them) as they do not have to breathe in all the smoke.

have a great day
because He lives
Jonah

Editor's Note: On a pressing matter, I want to advise the readers that due to the inflation caused by political discord, the food prices for average Kenyans have now now tripled. many of the caretaker families and their caretakers are in desperate situations. We ask you to pray and to do what you can to feed even one child as this is good in the eyes of God. May God touch your hearts and bless you so you may be a blessing.

Reconciliation & Forgiveness

[Photo caption: Dr. Celestine, front, red shirt]

hello,

this past week has been really great...we have been bonding...with our friends from other communities and building peace from within. this was made possible through a meeting that over 16 denominations & and other opinion leaders were invited to...to think together about the future of our country. i was among those who were invited.

after the meeting, we felt like we were renewed afresh and that FORGIVENESS and RECONCILIATION was a must before the next step was made. we were taught that, forgiveness in itself was not understanding nor tolerating, but it was some kind of imaginative thought of letting go...of what happened and hoping for the best in the future thru God's help.

our main facilitator was Dr. Celestine

Musekura, who is the President of Africa leadership and reconciliation Ministries (ALARM). He is a graduate from Dallas Seminary ..but most of all....he is a 'graduate' of 'forgiveness' as he lost his own father to their [tribe's] rival communities....back in 1997,

after the genocide of 1994 in Rwanda. he told us he had forgiven those who killed his father, and that was fresh thoughts for us. at the end of the week, we felt that we needed to greet each other, and start the long way of foregiveness again....indeed it was a touching week.

Dr. Celestine has been tranversing the country teaching about forgiveness. i hope we 'catch' this and grab it [the vision] for ourselves. as we need this ....right now after the post-election violence. i felt really relieved......when i saw him fly out of Kisumu Airport to Nairobi on the way to another country. we need these kind of men ....the Most at now...

have a great day

God Bless

Peace, Jonah